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A great mother (or grandmother!) gift uses pressed flowers to create placemats or bookmarks.

Age 4-9

Materials:

cardstock or thick paper
small flowers or flower petals
clear contact paper or clear packing tape (for bookmarks)
plain paper scraps or wax paper (to protect book pages during pressing)

Directions: Go flower picking. Look for small flowers, collect an assortment of shapes and colors. Be sure to pick more than you need in case some don’t press as well as other. At home, place flowers in between two pieces of plain paper then in the middle of a heavy hardcover book. Stack books on top of each other for better results. After a day or two, check on the flowers to make sure they have been flattened. Carefully remove flowers (use a pair of tweezers if they get stuck to the paper).

To Make Placemats or Bookmarks: Arrange flowers on a large piece of paper for placemat or a smaller rectangle for a bookmark. Cut two pieces of clear contact paper: one the size of you placemat/bookmark, and a second that is slightly larger than your cardstock. Once flowers are arranged, very carefully press contact paper over the flowers, adhering them to the card stock paper. Wrap excess contact paper around the back of the card stock. Cover the back with the smaller piece of contact paper.